Local restaurant giant Burger King has served up $400,000 in sponsorship to send Jamaica's Junior National Squash Team to the Caribbean Area Squash Association's (CASA) Junior Championships for the fifth year.

Additional support has come from insurance powerhouse, British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC), which has also made a substantial contribution to financing the team's participation in the prestigious competition.

The highly anticipated tournament will be played in Georgetown, Guyana, from July 2-8. The region's best young players will first do battle in age group categories and will then compete in a team competition.

The Jamaican squad is expected to face stiff competition, particularly from the home team, Caribbean kingpins Guyana. However, the youngsters are ready to take on all contenders when they bow into action today.

Leading the charge is team captain and reigning All Jamaica Under-19 champion Tajhia Lumley. The skipper is among the favourites to win his age group, but he'll have to get past his red-hot teammate Jonathan Walker, who is also a top contender.

In a similar vein, current Under-17 Champion, Adam Ardito is anticipating a good outing while Karan Dhiman is also expected to deliver a solid performance.

Local Under-15 champion Sebastian Levy will be looking to make a name for himself among his Caribbean peers as will his sibling, Under-13 champion Tobias Levy, who will take his friendly rivalry with teammate Aman Dhiman to the regional stage.

CHASING FIRST CROWN

In the girls' competition, Mia Lake, Jamaica's second-highest-ranked junior female player, will be chasing her first regional crown.

"We are grateful to Burger King for their continued support of squash and for their sponsorship of our junior team for the last five years, and we are pleased to welcome BCIC to the squash family," Jamaica Squash Association (JSA) Vice-president Bruce Levy said.

"For our young players to get to the next level, they will have to compete regionally and internationally, and we are very thankful that these two companies have provided tangible support to build up the game," he added.

Burger King's brand manager, Karma-Gaye Williams, said: "Restaurant Associates, through our Burger King brand, is one of the biggest supporters of local squash, and we are pleased to have contributed to the development of the game over the last five years. We are looking forward to another solid performance from the junior team, and we know they will make us proud."